Cheater
by Bianca Cai
Summary: It's hard enough that Kagome is just barely passing her first year at university. And passing while battling hangovers? Even tougher. But she hits her limit when she sits beside some idiotic dog-eared boy who can't stop cheating off her test. That's unforgivable! InuKag drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

OKAY  mustardyellowsunshine THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME I AM DOING THE WRITING PROMPT! My brain has been dry of inspiration so this little exercise got some ideas flowing! This is a **University!AU** (my guilty pleasure)! Hope y'all enjoy.

* * *

Kagome grunted as she walked into the Duff Medical Building. It was her first semester at university and she was already _so_ behind. The jump from high school to university was even worse than she had anticipated. The course load was unbearable. It didn't help that she was placed in the largest residence the campus had to offer, and there was no end to partying and drinking in the hallways at night. And it definitely didn't help that she usually couldn't resist joining her hallmates for the fun.

Instead of spending the night hitting the books for her biology midterm, she'd spent the night hitting shots. _You've made some better decisions than this, Higurashi,_ she chastised inwardly. She was certainly going to get an awful grade on this midterm.

Kagome, like many of her classmates in her first-year biology class, wanted to become a doctor. She had chosen the top university in the country, which also happened to be the toughest. She was beginning to regret her decision. She was supposed to be getting all A's if she stood a fighting chance of getting into medical school. A's didn't come by her very easily at her school. And it _definitely_ didn't help that the university was in a bustling city with an endless amount of bars, parties, and cute boys.

Sighing, she plopped down right next to one of those aforementioned cute boys with dog ears and short silver hair. He seemed to be in even worse shape than she. He looked like he'd spent an entire night at a kegger. He _smelled_ like it too.

 _Damnit, I'm going to be inhaling the smell of beer this entire midterm._ Again, Kagome was questioning her judgement. Sitting beside the hot guy in class seemed like a good idea, just like her decision to attend the top school. The beer smell was not helping her deal with her hangover whatsoever.

The TA passed out the test booklets, and the midterm commenced. Kagome could barely focus on the words in front of her due to her splitting headache, but she forced herself to answer every question as best as she could. And her best was not even close to good. She found herself making up answers as she went along.

As the test went on, she began to notice that the boy sitting to her right was arching his body ever so slightly. Kagome began to feel his eyes burning onto her paper. _Is this asshole cheating off of me?_ She shifted her body so that he couldn't see what she was writing. After a couple of minutes, she became sore from the awkward position and she readjusted, so the fucker used the opportunity to cheat off of her again. _The nerve of this guy!_

Kagome's blood began to boil as she continued taking the test. It was her fault for the headache, lack of preparation, and nausea. She could maybe have forgiven the beer smell of this dude. But him cheating off of her? That was a stress that she did not need. And there was no stopping this guy. Just about every moment she readjusted herself, he would steal completely noticeable glances at her test. And they were in the middle of a giant auditorium with tons of students squished together. There was no way the TA was noticing what was going on.

 _This is the issue with underfunded education._ She cursed her school. She cursed her headache. She cursed the test. But most of all, she cursed the dickhead sitting next to her who had the audacity to cheat off of her. _And the joke's on him, because I don't think any of my answers are correct!_

By the end of the exam, Kagome was boiling with rage. After the tests had been handed in and the students filed out of the auditorium, she made a beeline for the silver-haired boy, ready to give him an earful. She hoped to God that he had a bad hangover, so the sound of her yelling at him would be even more unpleasant.

She tapped her new arch-enemy on the shoulder. As he turned his head, she jumped into her accusations. "Did you seriously just cheat off of me for that entire midterm?"

The boy in the red hoodie shifted his gaze guiltily, crossed his arms, and simply said: "Keh!"

"Keh? KEH?! That's ALL you have to say to me? It was unpleasant enough to have to inhale your _odour_ the entire exam, but the stress of trying to stop you from cheating off of me? UNBELIEVABLE!"

"Oh, you're complaining about ME? You look like a hag who just rolled out of bed after taking a bunch of tequila shots!"

Kagome was seething. She didn't really have a projection of how this conversation was going to turn out, but she didn't expect to be insulted! And anyway, they were vodka shots! Not tequila shots! She had a _little_ bit more class than that!

"How DARE you! What are you, some kind of wannabe frat boy? How the hell did you get into this school anyway?"

"Keh! Coming from YOU! Half the answers you wrote down were wrong anyway!"

"WHAT? HOW... I... SCREW YOU!" It was bad enough that the boy cheated off of her, but acting all shameless about it? Kagome really had found her new arch-enemy. Before she could even think about what to say next, she slapped the boy straight across the face and stomped off. _I am so ready for some hangover brunch. And a nap._

The dog-eared boy watched her walk away, too stunned to move. He wouldn't admit it, but he hadn't been cheating off of her. He'd caught a glimpse of her face as she sat down beside him and thought she was gorgeous. He'd noticed her before; they happened to be in the same ginormous residence together. He became totally enthralled when he noticed the intricate centipede tattoo on her left wrist. He kept glimpsing at it during the midterm. Of course, he caught an eye at all of her wrong test answers as well. He considered offering her tutoring services after the exam, just so he could have an excuse to talk to her. Inuyasha was actually fantastic at memorizing so he was getting straight A's in his biology class so far.

Well, _that_ plan had backfired. Inuyasha stared longingly at the stomping girl. Now he was marked as a cheater and an asshole.

He could only hope that maybe he'd have the chance to redeem himself later in the year.

* * *

Author's note: This story is based off of something that actually happened to me during school. I sat down next to some smelly guy during a midterm and he cheated off of me the entire time. It was so distracting and infuriating (not to mention idiotic on the guy's part, because half my answers were wrong anyway). Unfortunately, this guy wasn't a cute hanyou dude. He did get in some trouble though because I totally tattled on him ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome was sitting in the New Residence Hall cafeteria with her roommate Sango and another person they had met on their floor named Miroku. He was about as typical as any first-year university guy, as in, he hit on anyone in a skirt. And anyone in pants. Miroku hit on everyone.

When he had met Kagome, he wasted no time in flirting with her. Kagome was a little smitten, until Sango walked over to her five minutes later and confessed that a really cute guy with a gold earring and a small ponytail had just hit on her. Now, the two girls were wise to Miroku's ways, but kept him around anyway. He was fun to hang out with and he provided the two with a necessary ego boost when they needed it.

Kagome might have spotted Sango and Miroku making out at a club a few nights ago, but she decided not to tease her roommate about it. Yet.

She had just finished telling the two about her disastrous midterm the other day, and the idiotic hanyou who had ruined her test.

"Yeah, it was the dog boy's fault that you didn't know any of the answers," Sango teased.

"Hey! It was! I mean, I didn't know a lot of the answers, but the rest of the ones I forgot because I was distracted by the cheater!"

"Suuuuure," Miroku mocked. Sango and Miroku made a great team when it came to making fun of Kagome.

"I totally feel you on having a tough time with all the memorization, Kagome." Sango empathized with her friend. She was studying kinesiology, and it wasn't all lifting weights like she had hoped. "Who knew there were so many body parts?"

"I, for one, am interested in lots body parts. Maybe I should be in kinesiology? Then we'd have an excuse to spend more time together," Miroku flirted. Sango rolled her eyes and Kagome laughed.

"I think Religious Studies suits you just fine, Miroku. God knows you need some Jesus in your life," Kagome teased.

"Hey! We all know that I'm only in Religious Studies so I can study the Kama Sutra!" Miroku mock defended. "There are so many ancient secrets to unfold! Of course, if I had known that the Kama Sutra barely talked about sex and was difficult to understand, maybe I would've changed my mind. Who would've thought that ancient Hindu texts would be tough to read?"

"Shocker," Sango deadpanned.

"Anyway," Miroku changed the subject. "Didn't you say that the guy who was cheating off of you was a guy with short silver hair, dog ears, and was wearing a red hoodie?"

"Yeah…" Kagome started. "Why?"

"Um, well I think he's right behind us, a couple tables down."

Sango and Kagome turned, and lo and behold, there was the cheater in question. He was sitting alone while he ate a giant plate of eggs and potatoes. He wore the same hoodie he'd donned the day before. _Gross!_ Kagome thought.

"I guess he's in the same residence as us," Sango said.

"Great! Now I have to see him in my biology class as well as in my rez?" Kagome complained.

"Our rez is ginormous, Kagome. And so is Bio 101. You may never have to cross paths with him," Sango reasoned.

"Or maybe you should cross paths with him," Miroku said suggestively. "He looks pretty cute, eh Kagome?"

Kagome blushed. "I definitely don't think so! And when I sat beside him he _reeked_ of beer!"

"Oh, you're totally denying it! C'mon, look at him! He's got golden eyes that could melt a statue!"

"You should go out with him then, Miroku!"

"No way. Just look at him. He's 100% straight, I guarantee it."

"God, you are incorrigible. Can you ever keep it in your pants?" Sango insulted. Kagome thought that she detected a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Why should I? I'm too beautiful to stick to one person. Or one gender," Miroku joked.

"Too beautiful, or too horny?" Kagome and Sango laughed while Miroku chuckled along good-naturedly.

"Anyway, now's as good a time as any to go talk to him!" Miroku said.

"Talk to him about what?" Kagome asked, a little nervous.

"Well, do you want him cheating off of you again?" Miroku baited.

"Of course I don't."

"Now's your time to go tell him! And give him your number while you're at it."

"I just, I can't!" Kagome sputtered.

"Go over, or I'll call him over," he threated.

"No!" But Kagome knew what was coming. Miroku didn't make empty threats.

Miroku brought his hands to his mouth, making a mock-megaphone with his cupped hands. "Hey, dog boy!"

The silver-haired man looked up from his plate at Miroku.

"My friend has something to tell you!"

"Miroku," Kagome hissed under her breath. Sango chuckled as the scene unfolded. Miroku just loved putting people on the spot.

"Go on, you have to go over there now!" Miroku whispered.

With a beet-red face, Kagome walked over to the boy in the hoodie. The boy looked like a deer in headlights, like he wasn't used to people talking to him in general. Unable to look him in the eyes, she said: "I just wanted to ask you not to cheat off me again. I won't report you, but it was really stressful to have you staring at my paper the entire time."

"I… I wasn't cheating off of you!" Inuyasha turned a shade so deep red that it rivaled his hoodie.

"But you admitted that you saw the answers on my test page!"

"Yeah, and I told you they were _wrong._ Why would I need to cheat off of someone if I knew what the right and wrong answers are?"

Now Kagome was really blushing. She had slapped this guy across the face, in public, when she had lost her temper. And now he was telling her that she was totally misinformed? Yup. She was embarrassed.

Sheepishly, Kagome put her head down. She would've apologized, but something about the combination of her pride and stubbornness was preventing her from doing so. "You should really not stare at other people's papers in the middle of a midterm. I was getting really distracted and angry."

"Keh!" Inuyasha responded. "I wasn't looking at your paper! I mean, I could see your midterm through the corner of my eye, but…" He trailed off. He realized that if he were to keep going, he'd have to admit that he was admiring her tattoo. And he couldn't admit that he thought it was cool (and that she was gorgeous). That would be _way_ too embarrassing.

Kagome crossed her arms. "Then what were you staring at if it wasn't my answers?"

Inuyasha shrunk into his hoodie. What could he say? He opted for a half-truth. "I couldn't stop staring at your tattoo! It's just so…. Ugly. And creepy." He crossed his arms in embarrassment, as if he could block himself from her field of vision with his arms.

Kagome's mouth dropped open in astonishment. She had initially regretted slapping him, but now she wasn't feeling so guilty. "What's your problem?"

"Crazy girls with weird tattoos slapping me! That's my problem!"

Kagome was boiling again. "Screw you!" This time she restrained herself from hitting him, but she was definitely not above stomping away. There was something about this guy that made her feel… impassioned.

She was kind of hoping to clear the air with him. Now that she knew that they lived in the same building _and_ had at least one class together, she would inevitably run into him again. _Great. Looking forward to the awkward eye contact we'll be making in the future,_ Kagome sighed inwardly.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome stomped away from him a second time, back to her table of friends who were in hysterics over watching the drama unfold before them. He played with his food, wishing he had better skills with women. With _people,_ even.

Maybe, just maybe, he could redeem himself. And he had an idea as to how.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi hi! I'm back! I've moved to Japan for the season so I've been busy and neglecting my writing! For the record, this little fic is almost finished (it has been for a while) but I've just been super bad at updating. I got a review a little bit ago that encouraged/reminded me to update, so thank you :) I just have to polish off one last chapter and I might, miiiight be updating this regularly until it's done. I will always finish all of my fics, for the record.

Please review! Thank you!

* * *

The professor dismissed class, and Kagome waited anxiously for her midterm results. She thought that maybe, if she were lucky, she could pull out a B- for her midterm.

"Higurashi!" The TA called.

Kagome took the paper from her instructor's hand, and slowly turned the page over.

 _37%_

Frantically, Kagome asked the TA, "Is this number out of 50?"

The TA just glared at Kagome. "No. It's out of 100, like all percentages."

Slowly, Kagome walked back to her desk and collected her things. As usual, she had way too many textbooks, papers, and pencils lying around. She threw it all in a lazy pile and decided to carry it out of class. She'd try to stuff everything into her bag when she got out of the auditorium. She just wanted to get out of the classroom, as if she could erase one miserable part of her day from simply exiting the premises of which it happened.

Which seemed like a great plan, until she bumped into some idiot standing in her way. He was texting, right in her pathway! At least, she thought he was standing in her way. Kagome wasn't really paying attention. All of her books and papers went flying everywhere.

"Crap!" She said, and watched the stranger's phone fall to the ground in slow motion. When his phone hit the floor, she heard an aggressive shattering noise. Dread filled her stomach. _Noooo, I can't afford to fix someone's phone screen!_ But the glass screen remained intact. The glass key chain that hung from his phone, however, shattered as it hit the ground.

"What are you, a professional klutz?" said a grumbling voice. It was The Cheater! He bent down to help Kagome gather her things. "God damnit! My jewel!"

"Watch the broken glass!" Kagome warned as The Cheater reached towards the remains of the jewel.

"Keh. I don't get cut so easily." Gingerly, the Cheater picked up a piece of the shattered key chain.

"I'm so sorry I broke your key chain. I hope it wasn't too meaningful." Kagome felt terrible.

He sighed. "It's fine. It didn't mean anything to me at all."

"That's good, I guess. I can pay you back! How much was the key chain?"

As Kagome was offering, Inuyasha got a glimpse of her midterm paper. He not only read her name on the cover, but also the poor grade on her test.

"Don't worry about it," he mumbled.

"O-okay."

"So, how'd you do on your test?"

"Well, _that's_ a little personal, don't you think?" Kagome asked.

"Hey, you broke my jewel. AND slapped me. The least you could do would be to tell me how you did."

"Why do you even want to know?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I just want to be sure that _you_ didn't cheat off of _me_."

Kagome blushed. "Look. I didn't do too well, okay? It's embarrassing. I used to find school easy, but the workload here has been a bit too much for me."

"Oh. Uh, I'm sorry. If it helps, I haven't been acing all my classes either. The one we're in is actually the only one I seem to be okay at."

"Thanks. But at least you have _one_ class you enjoy. I can't seem to get a handle on any of them. And I want to go to medical school."

Inuyasha scooped up all of Kagome's things and passed them to her. "Any chance you want a study buddy?"

"You'd help me study?"

"I mean, if you want."

"You'd want to help a girl who slapped you out of nowhere and then broke your phone chain?"

"You know what they say about keeping your enemies closer," Inuyasha grinned. "And I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name's Inuyasha. You?"

"Kagome. Thanks so much for this. I actually didn't even pass this midterm. I'm gonna need a very good grade on my final exam to pull off an okay final mark."

"Eh, I think a 37% is a savable number."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. "We're gonna need to teach you how to keep your eyes off of other people's tests."


	4. Chapter 4

Hi all! It has been a crazy 8 months. I travelled to Japan to work a marketing job, travelled all over the country, and now I've returned to my home and am now getting back into the fandom! I missed it!

FYI to all, this story is complete! I just need to finish uploading the chapters :) (If I forget to please remind me) Thanks to those who are still reading!

* * *

Kagome spotted Inuyasha in the booth at the end of Cybertheque. He waved her over, and she plopped down right next to him. Inuyasha inhaled a whiff of her perfume, and remembered the day she sat beside him during the midterm. He liked her scent then, and he liked it now.

Hopefully, he'd be able to concentrate.

Kagome noticed Inuyasha's scent too, but in more of a notary manner, _Thank God he doesn't smell like beer again. Or wearing the stupid red sweater._

Kagome tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "It took me a while to find this place. I've never studied in this part of the library before."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked, "Where else would you do group study?"

Kagome blushed. "I've never done a group study before."

"Oh. Do you prefer to study solo then?"

Kagome turned a shade deeper. "I don't study all that often. Sometimes I'll do it in my room. Anyway," she changed the subject. "Where do you think we should begin?"

"Let's do some basic memorization…"

As the Inuyasha taught Kagome some basic tips and tricks, she began to relax a little bit. Not only was Inuyasha's teaching surprisingly uncondescending, it was also super helpful. Kagome was becoming painfully aware of how little she had been trying in school.

She was lucky that she didn't need to try hard until she'd gotten to her university. But now she was unequipped with dealing with study stress. She realized she didn't even know how to study, not really.

But Inuyasha was making things seem almost easy for her. Well, he was making things _fun,_ and that was more important.

Before the pair had realized it, three hours had gone by and they'd managed to cover half of the material needed for the upcoming test. Yes, they had skimmed most of it, but Kagome was starting to gain some confidence.

"Do you think you're starting to get it?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes," she responded, gratitude pouring from the simple word.

"Think you'll manage to get a 80% on the next one?"

Kagome scoffed. "An 80%? Um, I'd have to study nonstop for the next few months in order to get that."

He stared at her blankly. "You do realize that's the grade you need to pass the course, right? You need at least a 60% on the course if you want it to count towards your major."

Kagome's heart sunk. An 80%? The highest grade she'd pulled so far was a 65%, in any of her classes. She was fucked.

"Well, technically you need an 83%," Inuyasha prattled on, unknowingly adding to Kagome's anguish.

"Kyah! I'll never do it!" She wailed, slumping down onto the desk and burying her face in crossed arms.

"Uh," Inuyasha shifted in his seat, unsure of what exactly he should say to the girl. "I mean, it won't be easy. But it's possible. We still have a few months before the test."

Kagome felt like she might cry. All the stress she'd felt before had doubled instantly. Why couldn't she get a hold on _introductory_ classes? How were all of her classmates able to succeed but not her?

She stood and collected her things. "I have to go Inuyasha. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it."

"Wait!" Inuyasha grabbed her hand. "We can keep studying together, if you want!"

"Thanks," was all Kagome could muster without her voice breaking. She scurried off, leaving Inuyasha blinking, dumbfounded at her sudden exit. He thought they'd been getting along well, that is, until he opened his stupid mouth…

His attempts at making friends were failing miserably. If only there was something he could say.


	5. Chapter 5

Inuyasha stared blankly at his cell phone. He had gotten as far as creating a new message for Kagome Higarashi, but words weren't coming. This was why Inuyasha had chosen science as his major.

It had been a week since Kagome's abrupt exit from Cyberteque, and he hadn't heard from her since. _She probably doesn't want me messaging her,_ he thought. But he still couldn't exit out of the message.

Finally, he managed to type a feeble "Hey". He held his breath and pressed send. _No going back now._

It took 3 hours and 27 minutes (not that he was counting) for her to respond. "Hey! How's it going? Sorry about the way I left the other week. I've been really stressed lately."

Inuyasha's heart was drumming in his ears. She asked him a question! "No worries," he typed back. "I was going to get some studying in tonight. Do you want to join me?"

"Wow! That's super sweet of you! Thanks Inuyasha!" She responded immediately.

"Great. I'm room 1411. Swing by around 8. My roommate will be joining us, if that's cool with you."

"The more the merrier!" Kagome texted back.

Inuyasha pumped his fist into the air. He did it! A successful interaction with a human female!

"Yo Kouga," Inuyasha said to his roommate. "You better be in the room tonight. I'm having a girl over to study for the class we're all in. I didn't want her to think I'm creepy for inviting her into my room so I told her you were joining."

Inuyasha's roommate snarled. "Do I get any say in this matter, dog breath?"

"Not unless you want a black eye," he responded.

Kouga sighed. "It's not like I had anything to do tonight anyway."

* * *

"Who're you texting?" Miroku waggled his eyebrows at Kagome over his coffee.

"The Cheater," she replied.

Sango, Miroku, and Kagome had all gathered at their favourite coffee shop close to campus to study. However, the three usually didn't get much studying done. Most of the time the conversation turned to what had happened at a crazy house party over the weekend, who'd gotten caught having sex in the common room, and who'd been dumb enough to make out with Miroku.

"Ah yes! Him! How did your little study date go last week?"

"It was fine," Kagome kept as straight a face as possible. She was too embarrassed to let on to her new friends that she was doing awfully in her classes. There was an unspoken academic competition the students had at her university that she didn't want to be a part of. Mostly because, if it were truly a competition, she'd definitely be losing.

"Do I see a little blush on your face, Kagome?" Sango teased lightly.

"You don't," she stated. "And it wasn't a date."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much!" Miroku said melodramatically. Both he and Sango fell into laughter.

"Look you guys. That's enough teasing. There's nothing more to our relationship. I'm just going up to his room tonight to study with him and -"

"His ROOM?" Miroku practically squealed. "You never mentioned his ROOM!"

"Drop it!" Kagome cried, turning even darker red than she was earlier. "There's nothing going on! I swear! His roommate is joining us and everything!"

"Oh he has a roommate? Is it going to be a threesome then?" Miroku continued.

"Seriously, enough! I swear! I'll make you regret it!"

"I mean, I know Inuyasha has some killer biceps. But imagine what his roommate looks like? You think they go to the gym together!"

"Stop it or else!"

"Or what?" Miroku taunted.

"Or I'll bring up the fact that I saw you and Sango making out the other week!"

Both of them froze, as if they'd been caught in the act itself.

Kagome took a sip of her iced tea. "Exactly."


End file.
